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Children are now in foster care with DCF

Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10:23 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 3:01 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | A 44-year-old Winter Haven man accused of molesting a 3-year-old in front of a 6-year-old was arrested Friday, released on bail on Monday and back in jail on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the children have been taken away from their mother.

Silvino Rebollar-Vera was originally arrested after neighbors reported to police that they could see through his window as he molested a child.

He was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and two counts of lewd exhibition for performing sexual acts on a child. He was released Monday on $25,000 bail.

He is now back behind bars facing charges of providing false identity to law enforcement, Winter Haven police said. The problems with his identification surfaced during the investigation.

Friday night, a neighbor noticed what she believed to be a child being molested through Rebollar-Vera's window, which was open and well-lit, police said. The woman confirmed what she was seeing with a friend, and they called police.

Police arrived within a few minutes, about 11 p.m., and by then several other neighbors had witnessed Rebollar-Vera performing sexual acts on the 3-year-old in the bedroom, police said. They also saw a 6-year-old child crouched in the corner watching.

According to police, the witnesses said the child's mother saw Rebollar-Vera kissing the 3-year-old and told him to stop, but never tried to remove the child from him.

The children were taken into custody by the Department of Children and Families but later released to their mother.

Winter Haven police spokeswoman Jamie Brown said the children have since been taken back into DCF custody.

At an emergency custody hearing Wednesday afternoon, Circuit Judge Harvey Kornstein ordered that the mother could only have supervised contact with the children and indicated that DCF has concerns about the mother's ability to protect them.

Kornstein appointed a Guardian ad Litem to look out for the best interests of the children. They will remain in foster care while DCF looks into other people recommended by the mother as alternatives to foster care.

The mother said the children's father has been deported to Mexico.

The Ledger is not identifying her or the children in keeping with its policy of not identifying victims of sexual assaults in most cases.

After the initial arrest, Winter Haven detectives discovered Rebollar-Vera's identity could not be confirmed.

Further investigations revealed that a Social Security number and driver license number used by Rebollar-Vera belong to two other individuals.

At this time, detectives are unable to establish his exact identity.

The Department of Homeland Security was contacted and a federal detainer had been placed on Rebollar-Vera.

He is being held in the Polk County Jail without bail.

[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]

<p>WINTER HAVEN | A 44-year-old Winter Haven man accused of molesting a 3-year-old in front of a 6-year-old was arrested Friday, released on bail on Monday and back in jail on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the children have been taken away from their mother.</p><p>Silvino Rebollar-Vera was originally arrested after neighbors reported to police that they could see through his window as he molested a child. </p><p>He was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and two counts of lewd exhibition for performing sexual acts on a child. He was released Monday on $25,000 bail. </p><p>He is now back behind bars facing charges of providing false identity to law enforcement, Winter Haven police said. The problems with his identification surfaced during the investigation. </p><p>Friday night, a neighbor noticed what she believed to be a child being molested through Rebollar-Vera's window, which was open and well-lit, police said. The woman confirmed what she was seeing with a friend, and they called police.</p><p>Police arrived within a few minutes, about 11 p.m., and by then several other neighbors had witnessed Rebollar-Vera performing sexual acts on the 3-year-old in the bedroom, police said. They also saw a 6-year-old child crouched in the corner watching.</p><p>According to police, the witnesses said the child's mother saw Rebollar-Vera kissing the 3-year-old and told him to stop, but never tried to remove the child from him.</p><p>The children were taken into custody by the Department of Children and Families but later released to their mother. </p><p>Winter Haven police spokeswoman Jamie Brown said the children have since been taken back into DCF custody.</p><p>At an emergency custody hearing Wednesday afternoon, Circuit Judge Harvey Kornstein ordered that the mother could only have supervised contact with the children and indicated that DCF has concerns about the mother's ability to protect them.</p><p>Kornstein appointed a Guardian ad Litem to look out for the best interests of the children. They will remain in foster care while DCF looks into other people recommended by the mother as alternatives to foster care.</p><p>The mother said the children's father has been deported to Mexico.</p><p>The Ledger is not identifying her or the children in keeping with its policy of not identifying victims of sexual assaults in most cases.</p><p>After the initial arrest, Winter Haven detectives discovered Rebollar-Vera's identity could not be confirmed.</p><p>Further investigations revealed that a Social Security number and driver license number used by Rebollar-Vera belong to two other individuals.</p><p>At this time, detectives are unable to establish his exact identity. </p><p>The Department of Homeland Security was contacted and a federal detainer had been placed on Rebollar-Vera. </p><p>He is being held in the Polk County Jail without bail. </p><p>[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]</p>